Category: 5-Stars

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Book Review: Happily This Christmas: A Novel (Happily Inc #6) by Susan Mallery  @susanmallery @HarlequinBooks

Happily This Christmas: A Novel
(Happily Inc #6)
by Susan Mallery 

Amazon  / B&N / GP / Apple

 

There’s no place like Happily Inc for the holidays…

Wynn Beauchene has a thriving business, a great kid, and a mildly embarrassing crush on the guy next door—local cop Garrick McCabe. She’s a strong, independent woman who can’t help dreaming what-if about a man she barely knows. Until he needs her help…

Garrick’s pregnant daughter will be home for Christmas, and his house needs a woman’s touch. Garrick and his little girl were tight once and he’s hoping a small-town Christmas will bring her back to him. But thawing his daughter’s frosty attitude will take more than a few twinkle lights. Maybe sharing the holiday with Wynn and her son will remind her of the joy of family.

As the season works its magic on these wounded souls, Wynn realizes it’s time to stop punishing herself for a painful secret, while Garrick remains haunted by the ghosts of past mistakes. Will he allow Wynn to open the only gift she truly wants—his heart?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

His words made her feel a little floaty, which was silly. She was in some serious trouble here— she hadn’t been this flaky even in high school. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to start flipping her hair and saying “like” in every sentence.

 

Most guys don’t like shopping, which I’ve never understood. All you have to do is pretend you’re hunting. You stalk, you pounce, you strap it to the car and take it home. A total win, but men don’t see it that way.

 

Wynn did her best to keep her happiness to herself. Being cheerful was one thing, but giddy tended to confuse her employees and frighten the customers.

 

The whole process is insane and unnatural… The cliché is true. If it were up to men to have babies, the human race would be dead in a generation.

My Review:

 

While I haven’t read all the books in this series, the ones I have read have been golden. I have thoroughly enjoyed every trip I’ve taken to Happily, Inc. and fervently hope Ms. Mallery never runs out of residents to feature. The main characters in this installment were highly likable, thoughtful, and admirable people I’d like to know and spend more time with. The writing was wittily amusing, smooth, expertly paced, and flowed through my gray matter like a ribbon of film through a movie projector while eliciting sighs, smirks, and contented smiles throughout a highly satisfying perusal.

About the Author

 

Author Website

Twitter: @susanmallery

Facebook: @SusanMallery

Instagram: @susanmallery

Goodreads

 

SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two ragdoll cats and an adorable poodle who think of her as mom.

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Book Review: Savage Row by Britney King  @britneyking

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Title: Savage Row
Author: Britney King
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Release Date: November 19, 2020

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The international bestselling author of Her and The Social Affair returns with another suspenseful thriller that very well could be set in the house next door.
Jack Mooney, a career criminal, has been in prison for nearly a decade, quietly nursing his hatred for the jurors who put him there. One in particular gets him through the endless days—the alluring Amy Stone.
When Mooney is granted early release, he makes Amy his first priority. To his delight, she’s even more enticing than before, and better still, she has a lot more to lose than he’d imagined.
As Mooney’s campaign of terror mounts, the police seem powerless to protect the Stone family, who must rely on their wits to survive a psychopath hell-bent on revenge.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He’d tried to do the right thing. Some lessons come wrapped in sandpaper, his mother likes to say.

 

His needs have developed over time until the activity became sacred, something that he cannot imagine himself ever giving up. To him, observation is an art form. Loads of people bird watch every year, and while most people would say what he does is immoral, he doesn’t see how this is any different. He considers himself an anthropologist of sorts.

 

He spotted them immediately, the youngest girl’s red hair flying in the wind. He could spot her from miles away. Same as her mother, he is certain. Hair that color could be seen from outer space.

 

His expression makes me feel like I’m about to officially become a member of a club I really don’t want to belong to.

 

It’s smart not to invite broken things into your life. It’s not your job to fix them. No matter how shiny the project looks, you’ll bite off more than you can chew every time.

My Review:

 

 

Britney King is one twisted sister yet I admire and covet her agile and fluid storytelling skills and deft pen.   She easily lures me into a vexing and ominous vortex and I relish and revel in her uniquely insightful yet disturbingly torqued and alarmingly compelling brand of psychopaths. Her provocative characters entice and intrigue me while their stories hold me rapt and taut with tension. I am perplexed while deeply enamored with her dark word voodoo. She has mad skills and a fan for life.

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CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS
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Hello. I’m Britney.

I live in Austin, Texas with my husband, children, a dog named Gatsby, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.

When I’m not wrangling the things mentioned above, I write psychological, domestic, and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.


Currently, I’m writing three series and several standalone novels.

The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female, and Basic Instinct.

The Water Series follows the shady love story of an unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.

Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.

The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.

The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience.

It is reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me. Classics. Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. If you’d like to connect, shoot me an email. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, and occasionally on Twitter.

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Book Review: This Year Maybe (Aliss’s Adventures Book 2) by Liz Hinds @LizHindsAuthor  @rararesources

This Year Maybe
(Aliss’s Adventures Book 2)
by Liz Hinds 

 

Amazon US / UK 

Alison and David have been engaged for so long that even Alison’s mother has given up asking when, but it’s the second time around for both of them and they’re not in any particular hurry.  That said, Alison is beginning to wonder if living with her has put David off the idea of marriage so when he suggests they set a date she is delighted. But that date is six months away and a lot can happen in six months – especially if you’re Alison!

‘My son’s been arrested, Great-aunt Millie’s fallen in love, my best friend suspects her husband of having an affair, and I still need to lose weight. How on earth can I think about getting married?’

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

When I was eight my New Year resolution was to eat chocolate every day. I was doing quite well until Mum found my secret stash of Kitkats under the bed. She not only told me off for ‘attracting rats’ but ate it herself while I was in school… My mother has a lot to answer for.

 

‘I couldn’t stand having her in the car with me. I might say something she’d regret.’ ‘You mean you’d regret?’ ‘No, I wouldn’t regret it!’

 

That’s the trouble having a relationship with a psychiatrist: sometimes I’m not sure if he views me as a lover or a good subject for research.

 

Nearly got into a fight with the woman doing the weighing. I said her scales must be wrong. She said it’s top of the range and very expensive. I suggested the battery might need changing. She said they’re run off the mains. I said, ‘Hasn’t anyone else mentioned their inaccuracy?’ She said, ‘Perhaps you could consider whether they might be right instead of arguing.’ I could see I was fighting a battle I wasn’t going to win.

 

‘Why does he always assume it’s my fault?’ I grumbled afterwards to Bev. She shrugged. ‘Experience I expect.’

My Review:

 

I giggle-snorted with glee as I made my way through this cleverly penned missive, which was packed to the gills with wry and ironic humor, snark, and witty musings and observations. The main character of Alison was an amusing and scatty hot mess and was to be eternally plagued by a narcissistic drama llama for a mother, one Alison was uncomfortable and resentful in being told she resembled. Her friends and family were an unending source of outrageous and humorous material.   This was my first exposure to the delightfully sardonic wit of Liz Hinds and I was an instant fan soon after the first paragraph.

About the Author

I’m a golden-retriever-loving granny, who enjoys walking by the sea or in the woods, who eats too much chocolate, and who gets over-excited when the Welsh team plays rugby.

I have self-published two novels, This Time Last Year, and The Dog-walking Club, but I’m also an experienced freelance writer and author of several non-fiction books published by Hodder & Stoughton, Scripture Union and Kevin Mayhew.

Social Media Links

Facebook – LizHindsAuthor

Twitter – https://twitter.com/LizHindsAuthor

Website – http://lizhinds.online

 

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Book Review: Forever 51 by Pamela Skjolsvik #forever51 @tlcbootkours @pamelaskjolsvik @fawkespress

Forever 51
by Pamela Skjolsvik 

Amazon  / B&N  / GP/ Bookshop.org/ Apple   

Paperback: 332 pages

Publisher: Fawkes Press, LLC (November 5, 2020)

Immortality’s a bitch.

Veronica is eternally fifty-one years old with a proclivity for problematic drinking. Like most hormonally challenged women negotiating the change of life, she is a hot mess. To retain her sanity, she attends weekly AA meetings and adheres to a strict diet of organic, locally-sourced, (mostly) cruelty-free human blood from the hospice facility where she works. Her life stopped being fun about a hundred years ago, right about the time her teenage daughter stole her soul and took off for California with a hot, older guy. These days, Veronica’s existence is just that – an existence, as flat and empty as her own non-reflection in the bathroom mirror.

When her estranged daughter contacts her via Facebook, Veronica learns that she has one chance to escape her eternal personal summer: she must find and apologize to every one of the people she’s turned into vampires in the last century. That is, if they’re still out there. With raging hormones and a ticking clock, Veronica embarks on a last-ditch road trip to regain her mortality, reclaim her humanity, and ultimately, die on her own terms.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I love bacon. I used to be a vegetarian, but I couldn’t give up the bacon. It’s like the gateway meat to a carnivorous lifestyle…

 

These photos are horrible. You need to work on that resting bitch face if you’re going to start posting selfies.

 

If there was ever a myth about vampires that truly bothered her, it was that they were dramatic, evil, universally untidy creatures. She prided herself in the clean and clinical nature with which she could suck a person dry without spilling a drop… The last thing she wanted was to splatter someone’s blood on her eighty-five-dollar yoga pants or even on her hospital scrubs. It was difficult to get out in the wash.

 

You’re young, but I’d like to let you in on a little secret. What gives life meaning is that one day it will be over. Which is exactly what makes being a vampire suck. It’s like that movie Groundhog Day, except there’s no Bill Murray and it never ends. Ever.

 

I knew I was different. I think my parents suspected as much and sent me off to one of those crazy camps where you are supposed to pray away the gay. At camp, two things happened. One, I met my first girlfriend, which was awesome, but I don’t think we prayed hard enough or something because we made out every chance we got.

 

My Review:

 

I rarely read paranormal tales as I am far too lazy for all that complicated world-building, but I’d read them on the regular if I could find crisply written and snappy ones like this. Forever 51 was a pure delight and full of sharp wit and clever snark from a fifty-one-year-old vampire trapped in perpetual menopause. The plot was unmatched in originality with curiously compelling storylines that amused and entertained while sucking me into a mysterious subculture that began to feel surprisingly real given the weirdness of the world we’ve been inhabiting during the last four years and especially the unholy, calamitous, and disastrous year of 2020. I will be ever so grateful to crack the spine on next year’s calendar.

 

I was unfailingly engaged and fascinated by the uncanny and keenly honed characters who were often dumpster fires and beyond peculiar yet were also intensely intriguing. I adored every well-chosen word of this oddly captivating, surreal, and dynamic missive. Pamela Skjolsvik is the bomb-diggity. I think I just might be besotted with her mad skills and covet her delectable and snarkalicious word voodoo.

About the Author

A curious thing happens when you have the audacity to call yourself the death writer; people want to talk to you about death. A lot. This is all well and good for those daring types of writers like Mary Roach or Jessica Mitford, but for me, it was initially problematic. Prior to declaring my morbid writing intention of exploring death professions during my first semester of Goucher College’s MFA program in 2008, I had little experience with death or grief, not to mention very little social engagement with the living. It wasn’t until after I finished the two years of research for this book that I was officially diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder and went through four months of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy through a research study at Southern Methodist University.

My writing life began in 2005 when I received a fellowship to the San Juan Writers’ Workshop. The instructor, Lee Gutkind, told me not to publish for the sake of publishing, but to publish well. He also informed me that I was a horrible public speaker. Admittedly that stung, but he did like an essay I’d written. It was published in Creative Nonfiction Issue 33 and in Silence Kills: Speaking Out and Saving Lives. In August 2010, I received my MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College and read five pages from my manuscript in front of a packed room without passing out.

As part of my therapy, I was encouraged to join a writer’s group where I would have to read regularly in front of a group, as this was one of my main fears. I am happy to say that I am now an active member of the DFW Writers Workshop in Euless, TX. We meet every Wednesday and I make it a point to read out loud every week.

Find out more about Pamela on her website, and connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Book Review: It’s Raining Men by Rich Amooi  @RichAmooi  @rararesources

 

It’s Raining Men 
by Rich Amooi 

 

Amazon 

On a dare, Faith Daniels tosses a coin into the infamous “Fountain of Love” and wishes for the perfect man, laughing it off as the dumbest thing she’s ever done. Like magic, her quiet life turns upside-down when men begin to appear out of nowhere. There’s a doctor, a lawyer, a firefighter, and a swimwear model, for starters. All of them are kind, generous, successful, and drop-dead gorgeous. All of them are interested in Faith. But who is Mr. Right?

A feel-good romance novel about love, friendship, and living life to the fullest!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Tracy had accused me of being like a horse with blinders on. I told her she was being ridiculous and to pass the carrots.

 

“Do you have a backup house?” Phillip sat up and lifted his chin proudly. “I have seven.” Noah thought about it. “A house for every day of the week. Kind of like me with my underwear.”

 

“Just you wait. You’re going to cause men to have whiplash, heart attacks, car crashes, and bar fights.” …   Kim sighed. “I wish men would get in bar fights over me. Hell, even a shoving match would be wonderful.

 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman in possession of the perfect man must be delusional since there’s no such thing as a perfect man.

 

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just save the parts of a man that we like the most and then toss the rest into the dumpster behind the building?

 

“When was the last time you had your rear end lubricated?” Alonzo asked. Mrs. Benson grabbed the closest tire brochure and fanned herself. “Oh, dear.” … “Sorry, Mrs. Benson. He’s talking about the differential which is located near the rear end of your Corolla.”

 

If you’re going for your yearly mammogram, you won’t even have to remove your top. Everything is right there.

 

 

My Review:

 

I know he is happily married but I shamelessly adore Rich Amooi, he has never let me down and is always a good bet for an easy to follow, wittily amusing, and sweet and fluffy giggle-snort worthy read. He has never failed to put a smile on my face and is the perfect antidote for stress.   His latest missive features three good friends working as hairstylists at a salon cleverly named “Cut Me Some Slack” and a local myth involving “The Fountain of Love,” where one tosses in a coin and finds true love soon after. I enjoyed every entertaining word of this light and sweet tale as well as the sincere and highly likable cast of primary and secondary characters.

About the Author

Amazon  / Twitter
Goodreads / Facebook
Website

Rich Amooi is a former radio personality and DJ who now writes romantic comedies full-time in San Diego, California. He is happily married to a kiss monster imported from Spain. Rich believes in public displays of affection, silliness, infinite possibilities, donuts, gratitude, laughter, and happily ever after.

Rich Amooi is the Amazon #1 Bestselling author of 15 romantic comedies, including It’s Not PMS, It’s You, Dying to Meet You, There’s Something About a Cowboy, and Madam Love, Actually.

Giveaway 

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card

(Open INT) 

*Terms and Conditions –  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

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Book Review:  The Twins by J.S. Lark @JaneLark @rararesources 

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The Twins
by J.S. Lark

 

 

If you liked Blood Orange you will love this!

From the moment they are born, twins Susan and Sarah are inseparable.  Through good and bad, the girls will always be together…forever.

Until they meet Jonny.

Older, charming, and handsome, Jonny offers the girls the much-needed love and attention they crave.  But he can only choose one and for the first time in their lives, the girls find themselves split apart – the invisible thread that binds them severed.

Set-free from her twin, Sarah builds a new life for herself, marries, has a daughter.  But Susan’s life spirals further and further out of control.

And now Susan is back.  And she’s determined to reclaim everything she feels Sarah has taken from her. 

Her home, her husband…her life?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The head teacher told Mum we’re feral.

There’s a strange detached sensation that tingles through my nerves. I feel as if I’m sitting up high in the corner of the room watching all of us acting out a scene in a play. I’m in the audience. High above them, on the upper balcony. Like a queen on a throne orchestrating all of this.

My Review:

 

I had some issues while reading this one, but while I debated my feelings and looked at my notes, it is still a cleverly crafted 5-star read. It was not an easy tale as the plot was unique and complicated and bent back on itself several times, and was cast with a slate of complex and difficult characters. It was also deeply disturbing, smartly contrived, indubitably twisty, frequently frustrating, and intensely intriguing. The twins were delinquents before they were even juveniles – by thirteen they were hooligans, hoochie mamas, drug addicts, parents, and prostitutes. Wow.   Mind Blown! J.S. Lark is a wily wordsmith and not to be trusted.

 

About the Author

Jane is a coffee, chocolate, and red wine lover, and a late-night writer of compelling, passionate, and emotionally charged fiction.

Jane’s books may contain love, hate, violence, death, passion, a little swearing, and an ending you are never going to forget.

Social Media Links 

Website: www.janelark.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JS-Lark-2288653328057315

Twitter: @JaneLark

Instagram: @Jane.Lark

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-s-lark

Sign up for Jane’s New Letter: https://www.janelark.co.uk/contact

 

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Book Review: Painting Bananas (Cherry Dene Book 2) by Amanda Paull @Apaullfiction  @rararesources 

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Painting Bananas
(Cherry Dene Book 2)
by Amanda Paull

Painting Bananas is all about love, dreams, and taking stock.

Two happy couples, one person from each on the verge of change. But as paths cross and plans unfold, will their spouses reveal their true colors?

Alison struggles with insomnia. She also hates her job and fantasizes about throttling her irritating oaf-of-a-boss. Thankfully, her lifelong plan to return to university will soon be realized. After supporting her husband in his career for over twenty years, it’s now her turn. He’s rooting for her every step of the way. Or so she thinks.

Meanwhile, Christopher has a wake-up call with his health. Somehow, pre-diabetes has replaced his six-pack. He must take stock immediately. He realizes that the perfect solution is right under his nose. He can’t wait to share his brilliant idea with his wife. The future looks good. But does she agree?

Will the spouses show their support? Or will Alison and Christopher start to wonder whether they really know their other halves?

Painting Bananas was written and formatted with British grammar, punctuation, and humor. It is the second novel in Amanda Paull’s Cherry Dene series but can be read as a standalone story.

 

My Rating:

My Review:

 

I snorted and smirked my way through this cleverly amusing British Women’s Fiction tale. The storylines were engaging, shrewdly paced, and wryly humorous yet insightfully observant and kept my curiosity primed. There were several storylines involving two separate families that slowly began to converge through a chance meeting of Alison and Christopher. I had great empathy for both of these likable and easily accessible main characters.   Poor Alison had a lot to deal with as she was stuck in a toxic work environment as well as in-laws from hell and a misogynist flake for a husband. It took forever for her to find her voice and I wanted to fist pump and do a little dance when she finally located her spine. Christopher was also struggling with his home life, and a truly lovely man who could only exist in a book and was obviously a unicorn as no one in the banking industry has a working coronary system.

About the Author

 

Amanda Paull is a writer of humorous romantic fiction. She lives in the North East of England with her husband and works in the public sector. The inspiration for her stories comes from real life, which she tries to show the funnier side of by embellishing to the hilt.

Social Media Links 

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Apaullfiction/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Apaullfiction

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Book Review: One Last Time (Loveless Brothers #5) by Roxie Noir @RoxieNoir @jennw23

Seth Loveless has been my weakness since I was sixteen years old.

One Last Time, an all-new second chance romance with all the feels from Roxie Noir, is available now!

 

Two years ago, I moved back to my hometown. I started a business, bought a house, took up yoga, and went on hiatus from dating. Life is good.

If I never had to see Seth, it would be perfect.

After all, my history with my ex-boyfriend is anything but simple. It’s taken us years, but we’ve finally learned to live in the same town without killing each other.

Is there an elaborate set of rules governing our every casual interaction?

Yes.

Do I still think dirty, off-limits thoughts every single time I see him buying apples at the grocery store?

Of course. I’m only human, and Seth and I are practically experts at the two F’s: fighting, and…

…sleeping together.

Still, we’re managing just fine.

And then?

He shows up at my sister’s wedding. The man looks like pure sex in a suit, handsome as the devil himself and twice as charming.

Worse, he claims he’s my date.

We flirt.

We dance.

We break every one of our carefully-crafted rules, and we… should stop.

Too bad I’m having the time of my life.

I know I should end it. After all the heartbreak, hurt, and anger we can’t be more than enemies.

But Seth asks me for one more night.

Just one night.

Then, we’re back to being virtual strangers to each other.

I know I should turn him down.

I know this ends with my heart shattered into a million pieces.

I know lunacy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

But I’ve always been bad at resisting a weakness.

One Last Time is a standalone romantic comedy and the final book in the Loveless Brothers series. 

 

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gT9s3T

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/OneLastTime

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Does she… know? That Seth is the town bicycle and everyone’s taken a ride?

 

What if it turns out that he’s deep in some pyramid scheme and he spends the entire time trying to sell us essential-oil-infused leggings?

 

“Is that a sorority?” Georgia whispers. “I think it’s the Borg,” whispers back Wyatt. “Except, you know, blonde?”

 

I feel like a stadium when the lights go out. Like a concert hall when the orchestra stops tuning and suddenly plays the first note of a symphony. The background noise stops and the note swells, shifts, breaks into harmony. This is all there is.

 

My Review:

 

Wow, this was a long and passionate read full of devastating verbal warfare and heart-stopping sensual scenes that made my mouth go dry. I kid you not – am seriously dehydrated! This couple had a toxic and complicated dynamic and were essentially – a trash fire. But man-oh-man, this author can tell a story! She reeled me in despite there being far more conflict and angst than I am normally comfortable with. However, I was willing to tolerate the tension given the delicate balance of wicked humor, clever wit, and amusing family exchanges, as well as their tender underlying soul-deep love for each other that made them ever so vulnerable to the mortal combat they seemed destined to unleash on each other. Oh, and raccoons! Loves me some cute “varmints.”

I wasn’t convinced I could fully appreciate these characters based on the two previous books from this series I recently devoured. I had major concerns going in with Delilah, and rightly so, she was quite vicious and cruel in her behaviors and raging arguments, but Seth was no slouch in that arena either. They had volcanic sexual chemistry but couldn’t keep their incendiary tempers and pernicious tongues in check, which repeatedly resulted in the push/pull type of poisonous relationships that immature people excel in, and while theirs was quite lethal, it was also worth the fight. I am now even more curious about the first two books that I have yet to peruse. I do believe I have developed a Roxie Noir addiction as I fell hard for her exceptionally enticing family of sexy brothers. 

 

 

About Roxie

 I love writing sexy, alpha men, and the headstrong women they fall for.

My weaknesses include: beards, whiskey, nice abs with treasure trails, sarcasm, cats, prowess in the kitchen, prowess in the bedroom, forearm tattoos, and gummi bears.

I live in California with my very own sexy, bearded, whiskey-loving husband, and two hell-raising cats.

Connect with Roxie

Amazon: https://amzn.to/31ab2a6

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2YyYtDh

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2SRXTPK

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2owNy18

Join her reader group The Roxettes: http://bit.ly/2K5fRLU

 

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Book Review: A Frenzy of Sparks by Kristin Fields  @writingkristin @TLCBookTours

A Frenzy of Sparks
by Kristin Fields 

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Amazon  / B&N / B-A-M 

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From the author of A Lily in the Light comes a poignant story of innocence lost and what it means to grow up too fast.

It’s 1965, and thirteen-year-old Gia, along with her older brother and cousins, is desperate to escape their sleepy, tree-lined neighborhood where nothing ever happens. The only thing Gia would miss is the surrounding marsh, where she feels at home among sea birds and saltwater.

But when one of Gia’s cousins brings drugs into their neighborhood, it sets off a chain of events that quickly turn dangerous. Everyone will be caught in the ripples, and some may be swept away entirely. Gia is determined to keep herself and her family afloat while the world is turned upside down around her. Can she find a way to hold on to the life she was so eager to leave behind, or will she have to watch it all disappear beneath the marsh forever?

At turns heart-wrenching and hopeful, A Frenzy of Sparks explores a world where survival is the attempt to move forward while leaving pieces of your heart behind.

“A deeply atmospheric novel that will have you turning the pages deep into the night, A Frenzy of Sparks is your next must-read.” —Catherine McKenzie, bestselling author of Hidden and I’ll Never Tell

“A provocative coming-of-age in 1960s Queens. Heart-wrenching and moving, A Frenzy of Sparks boldly reveals families in crisis, brought together and torn apart. Brava Kristin Fields on a lyrical, luminous tale that sticks with the reader long after the last page.” —Rochelle Weinstein, bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends

“A Frenzy of Sparks tells the heartbreaking truth about how quickly addiction can destroy a family and a community. Fields has a beautiful ability to shape words such that the ordinary becomes extraordinary.” —Kaela Coble, author of Friends and Other Liars

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She had the same wiry build as Leo, the same blue eyes and slightly disheveled look, as if the wind had blown them around for a few minutes and suddenly stopped.

 

Window light turned dust suspended in the air to gold, making Gia almost pretty in the mirror, not movie-star pretty, but more like a mer-creature who’d surfaced to see what land was all about. She hadn’t quite grown into her nose or gotten past her fear of tweezers to fix her eyebrows, but her features were sharp and symmetrical.

 

“Is he sick?” Agnes scrunched her forehead. It was unusual for Leo to be home, grounded or not. Yes, Gia thought. He has an incurable case of the idiots.

 

The girl was chewing gum, cracking it loudly, blowing bubbles, and swallowing them back like a lizard rolling out its tongue. She was a hostess at the clam bar with Ray and liked to flirt with him even though she had more pimples than a toad, but she curled her hair and rolled a tube over her lips until they were mirror shiny. Alessandra. Gia wondered if Agnes would prefer a daughter like her instead.

 

“Just tell him your blood sugar’s low or you’re feeling faint. He’s too scared of women’s bodies to call you on it,” Lorraine said between bites of a fresh chocolate éclair…

My Review:

 

Kristin Fields hit me soundly in the feels and wrote with an astounding poignancy that put hot rocks in my throat, pressure in my chest, and sand in my eyes. She scribbled with the articulateness of a gifted wordsmith while she insightfully and perceptively imbued her cast of characters with unusual quirks and sharp edges, and detailed them with crystal clarity. She fully captured their foibles as well as the miasma of complex family personalities, unmerited favoritism, and the issues of dealing with addiction in a family member along with the accompanying complications of enabling, blind denial, and general chaos.

I was staggered by the precision and depth in which Ms. Fields molded and sufficed Gia with relatable and accessible impatience, yearning for independence, and the heightened desire for personal choices from those forced upon her by family circumstances. Gia was a thirteen-year-old tomboy who was chaffing at the constant criticism and expectations of her mother to be feminine while actively forcing her towards domestic pursuits. Gia had no interest in her mother’s womanly pursuits or indoctrination as she was interested in the environment, wanted to be outside swimming and boating, and aspired to be a scientist.

Ms. Field’s prose ingeniously inserted me into the gray matter of a sensitive thirteen-year-old who despite her naive and skewed perceptions, still saw far more clearly, realistically, and objectively than her parents. I was deeply stirred by the experiences of Gia which conjured similar feelings long buried in my own psyche of a pervasive sense of powerlessness against the rigid constraints of the strict and unquestionable expectations of gender roles and the forced adherence of odd and nonsensical beliefs as well as the resentment of undeserved male arrogance and the mindlessness of automatic female deference. And from this, a kickass feminist was born.

I was a small child in the ’60s and came of age in the ’70s and do not look back on that period with fondness.   Nor would I live through those turbulent eras again for a billion dollars. While Kristin Fields is far too young to have personally experienced those tumultuous decades, her narrative and characters’ observations, behaviors, frustrations, mindsets, and the limitations of societal roles were astoundingly authentic to the times. Color me impressed but now in need of a spa day and a vat of wine to clear all this long-repressed antipathy.

About the Author

Kristin Fields grew up in Queens, which she likes to think of as a small town next to a big city. Fields studied writing at Hofstra University, where she received the Eugene Schneider Fiction Award. After college, Fields found herself working on a historic farm, teaching high school English, and designing museum education programs. She is currently leading an initiative to bring gardens to public schools in New York City, where she lives with her husband.

Connect with Kristin

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Book Review: The Hookup Equation (Loveless Brothers #4) by Roxie Noir 

The Hookup Equation
(Loveless Brothers #4)
by Roxie Noir 

 

Amazon / B&N 

Teach me everything.


My whole life, I’ve been a good girl. I follow rules like nobody’s business. I obey guidelines like I was born to it. Show me a line, and I’ll toe it.

I’m even a twenty-two-year-old virgin. Good is my middle name.

And then, I break one tiny little rule. Miniscule. Inconsequential.

Next thing I know, I’m trapped with an incredibly handsome stranger. He’s got eyes like cut emeralds, biceps that makes my head spin, and a smile that has me rethinking all my life choices.

We escape a bar bathroom together. We go on an impromptu date. We share the hottest kiss I’ve ever had, one that leaves me panting for more. We promise to see each other again.

Turns out, we see each other the next morning.

In my calculus class.

Which he’s teaching.

My handsome, sexy date is Professor Loveless, and we’ll be seeing each other plenty. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday all semester.

There’s no choice but to call it off. We both have too much at stake: I could lose my scholarship, and he could lose his entire career.

But I can’t call off the way I feel.

I can’t call off the way he looks when he rolls up his sleeves and explains imaginary numbers.

I can’t call off the heated glances, or the way our hands touch when I hand in my homework, or the memory of his body pressing against mine that night.

I’m a virgin.

He’s my professor.

And if we give in, it could cost us both everything.

But I’m so tired of being a good girl.

The Hookup Equation is a complete standalone romantic comedy with enough steam to fog your glasses.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’m a total lightweight, and it only takes a couple of drinks before I’m that embarrassing girl who’s vomiting in someone’s bushes while sobbing that squirrels are too precious for this world.

 

Every single time I find a guy attractive or interesting, I wind up sticking my foot in my mouth so hard I leave teeth marks on my knee.

 

You know, once upon a time I thought that if I kept the five of you alive until you hit eighteen I’d be done with parenting? I was an idiot.

 

Some people believe sharing your secrets cleanses the heart and mends the soul… I think that white lies are the only thing standing between polite society and utter barbarism.

My Review:

 

Roxie Noir is a recent find for me and I enjoy indulging in her special brand of irreverent humor and super-steamy delights. In both of her books I’ve read so far, she has also provided several entertaining and unpredictable storylines populated with uniquely endearing and oddly appealing characters and armed them with clever banter, profound insightfulness, and compelling issues. I started in the middle but have definitely been grooving on this series while kicking myself for being late to the party. I have some catching up to do.

About the Author

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I love writing sexy, alpha men, and the headstrong women they fall for.

My weaknesses include: beards, whiskey, nice abs with treasure trails, sarcasm, cats, prowess in the kitchen, prowess in the bedroom, forearm tattoos, and gummi bears.

I live in California with my very own sexy, bearded, whiskey-loving husband and two hell-raising cats.

Connect with Roxie

Amazon: https://amzn.to/31ab2a6

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2YyYtDh

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2SRXTPK

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2owNy18

Join her reader group The Roxettes: http://bit.ly/2K5fRLU

Stay up to date with Roxie by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2SVTlb7

http://roxienoir.com